TOLKIEN, J. R. R., & E. V. Gordon (eds).

£8,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. First edition of Tolkien's second published book, a scholarly edition of one of the most important works of medieval English literature. The poem was an important influence on Tolkien: he produced his own verse translation (published posthumously in 1975) and he described the original as "one of the masterpieces of fourteenth-century art in England, and of English literature as a whole" (Tolkien, p. 72).The text, written in a north-west Midlands dialect, is here reproduced from the sole surviving manuscript held at the British Library, alongside copious notes and glossaries by Tolkien and his co-editor E. V. Gordon. The edition "opened new fields of study, remaining the standard, in revised form, throughout the 20th century" (ODNB).

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.